Means for and method of producing etheric disturbances



.6. LE G. FORTESCUE AND L. W. CHUBB. MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING ETHERIC DISTURBANCES.

A PL CATION FILED APR- 5. 19H.

WITNESSES:

INVENTOR 1 Char/es 86. or/escue,

L eBv/sVV. Chukk- (9 Patented Oct. 12, 1920, v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LE G. FORTESGUE, OF PITTSBURGH, AND LEWIS W. CHUBB, OF EDGEWOOD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC TUBING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AND MAN UFAC MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING ETHERIC DISTURBANCES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES LE G. Fon'rnsoon, a subject of the vKing of England, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and LEWIS W. CHUBB, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for and Methods of Producing Etheric Disturbances, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the production of etheric disturbances such, for example, as light, heat rays actinic rays or X-rays, and it has for its object to provide an apparatus for, and a method of, producing the desired result that shall be simple, eificient and effective, said apparatusbeing of extremely long life, as compared with apparatus hitherto used.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus embodying our invention, together with its attendantenergizing circuits; and Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. 7

It is well known that light, X-rays, and allied etheric disturbances may be produced by the impact of astream of rapidly moving particles upon a solid object. A familiar illustration of this is the well known X-ray tube wherein a cathode stream is caused to impinge upon a target composed of refractory material such, for example, as

tungsten or platinum. The life of apparatus of this character is radically limited by the destruction of said target, brought about by the intense heat and bombardment'at the surface thereof. In accordance with our invention, we produce two distinct streams of charged particles which are caused to collide or intersect each other. By this means, a portion of the charged'particles in one stream are caused to collide respectively with a portion of the charged particles'in the other stream and,-as a result of said collisions, an etheric disturbance is produced. By varying the physical constants of one or bothof the streams, diflerent types of etheric disturbance may be produced, as desired. It will be noted that we thus provide Specification of Letters Patent. P t t t, 12, 1920. Application filed April 5, 1917. Serial No. 160,045.

a target which is continuously renewed so that that which produces the effect of a taret surface is substantially unchanged durlng the life of a device.

Other features of our invention, whereby the desired streams of charged particles are produced and manipulated, will hereinafter more fully appear.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, we show a closed container at 3, said container either being highly evacuated or containing a small amount of an inert gas such, for example, as argon or nitrogen. Said container comprises two tubular members 4 and 5, each of which is open at but one end, the open ends facing eachother within a central chamber 6. An 'anode 7 in the formlof an incomplete ring of somewhat greater diameter than the tubes 4 and 5, is disposed within the chamber 6, preferably coaxially with respect to said tubes. F ilamentary cathodes 8 and 9 are mounted in the closed ends of the tubes 4 and 5, respectively, and each of said cathodes is mounted between two leading-in wires so that they may be heated to incandescence by any suitable means such, for example, as auxiliary current'sources 10 and 11, as is well known in the vacuum tube art. A source of high-voltage unidirectional current, such, for example, as a rectifier 12, is provided, and connections are made so that said rectifiermaintains the anode 7 at a positive polarity with respect to both of the cathodes 8 and 9. A. solenoid 13 is so disposed as to embrace the tube 4 and a similar solenoid 14 is similarly the electromotive force from the rectifier 12' is then applied. An electron stream is pro-- duced from the cathode 8 to the anode 7 and a similar electron stream is produced from the cathode 9 to'said anode. Said electron streams are caused to turn through a sharp' angle at the, ends of the tubes 4 and 5 in order to reach the ring-shaped anode and many of them continue to travel in a straight line, electrons from one stream colliding with electrons from the other stream. The mutual impact of the small rapidly moving particles produces the desired etheric disturbance, indicated by suitable rays radiating from the central portion of the chamber 3'. The anode 7 being in the form of an incomplete ring, a suitable beam issues through the opening therein, as indicated at 18. The object of the solenoids 4 and 5 is to concentrate the two electron streams into small compact beams which providea much more sharply defined zone of intersection, a result which is particularly desirable in X-ray work because of the necessity of a point source in order to obtaln sharp photographic definition.

Referrin to the form of our invention shown in ig. 2, the general arrangement is as shown in Fig. 1 except that the tubes 4 and 5 are inclined with respect to each other and the anode 7 is made in the form of a plate lying between the two tubes 4 and 5. In this manner, an oblique impact may be produced between the two electron streams and the resultant electronic disturbance be principally radiated in a given direction, as indicated by the beam 18. The degree of obliquity of contact is not determined entirely by the disposition of the arms 4 and 5, because the electron streams are drawn toward the anode 7 as they issue from the ends of the arms 4 and 5 and thus the two electron streams may be caused to have a direct impact, even in the structure of Fig. 2. This form of our device is rather better adapted for X-ray work than is the form shown in Fig. 1 because of the better distribution of the resultant X-rays, although. it is appreciated that the possible oblique impact is not as effective in producing etheric disturbances as is the direct-impact of the device shown in Fig. 1.

While we have shownapparatus operating by virtue of electronic emission, we do not desire to be limited thereto but we contemplate the employment of streams of charged particles ofany desired character, said streams being produced in any old and well known manner.

While we have shown our invention in it plurality of preferred forms, we do not desire to be restricted thereto but we desire that only such restrictions shall be placed upon our invention asare imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

,1. In vacuum-type electric apparatus, the

combination with means .for producing a plurality of streams of charged particles, of means for directing said streams in paths that intersect in free space, whereby a portion of the particles of one stream are caused to collide with a portion of the particles in the other stream, respectively, and etheric disturbance is caused by said collisions.

2. In vacuum-type electric apparatus, the combination with means for producing a plurality of streams of similarly charged particles, of meansfor directing said streams in paths that intersect in free space, whereby a' portion of the particles of one stream are caused to collide with a portion of the particles in the other stream, respectively, and ethericdisturbance is caused by said collisions.

3. In vacuum-type electric apparatus, the combination with means for producing a plurality of streams of negatively charged particles, of means for directing said streams in paths that intersect in free space,

whereby a portion of the particles of onestream are caused to collide with a portion of the particles in the other stream, respectively, and etheric disturbance is caused by said collisions.

4. In vacuum-type electric apparatus, the combination with means for producing a plurality of streams of electrons, of means for directing said streams in paths that intersect in free space, whereby a portion of the electrons of one stream are caused to collide with a portion of the electrons in the other stream, respectively, and etheric disturbance is caused by said collisions.

5. The combination with a closed container provided with an anode and a plurality of cathodes, of means for simultaneously producing electronic emission from each cathode to said anode, said electrodes being sodisposed that the paths of said electron streams intersect in free space whereby a plurality of inter-electronic collisions are produced.

6. 'The combination with a closed container provided with one electrode of one nominal polarity and a plurality of electrodes of the other nominal polarity, of means for causing a stream of charged particles to flow from each of said last-named electrodes to said first-named electrode, the

paths of said streams intersecting at a pointin free space within said container.

7. The combination with a closed container provided with means for producing two distinct streams of charged particles therein, of electromagnetic means for causing said streams to intersect each other in free space within said container.

8. The combination -with a closed container provided with means for producing two electronic streams therein, of electromagneticmeans for causing. said streams to intersect in free space within said container.

9.-The combination with a closed con- I tainer provided with means for producing two electronic streams therein, of two so leno1ds one of which embrace each stream,

and means for energizing said solenoids with tainer, of an anode and two cathodes therein, means for maintaining electronic emission from each cathode to said anode and means for electromagnetically directing said two electronic emissions so that their paths are confluent.

11. The combination with a closed container, of an anode and two cathodes therein, means for maintaining said cathodes at incandescence, and means for maintaining a unidirectional electromotive force between said anode and said cathodes, whereby two electronic streams are initiated to said anode, the relative disposition of the 'electrodes being such that said streams are confluent at a point other than at the surface of said anode.

12. The combination with a closed container, of an anode and two cathodes therein, means for maintaining said cathodes at incandescence, means for maintaining a unidirectional electromotive force between said anode and said cathodes, whereby two electronic streams are initiated to said anode,

and electromagnetic means for concentrating and directing each electronic stream, the relative disposition of the electrodes and of said electromagnetic directive means being such that said streams are causedto be confluent at a point other than'at the surface of said anode.

13. The method of causing etheric disturb-v v ance which comprises causing one stream of charged particles to impinge upon another stream of charged particles.

14. The method'of causing etheric disturbance which comprises causing one stream of ions to impinge upon another stream of ions.

15. The method of causing etheric disturbance which comprises causing one stream of 10ns to colhde wlth another stream of similar lons.

16. The method of causing etheric dis-' turbance which comprises causing one stream of electrons to collide with another stream of electrons.

17. A target for ionic-impact apparatus comprising a moving stream of electrostatically charged particles.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 29th day of March, 1917.

CHARLES LE G. FORTESCUE. .LEWIS W. CHUBB. 

